Strangely Microsoft chose to equip the Elite with an HDMI 1.2 port, rather than the newer 1.3 standard. This means that you won't be able to output a lossless Dolby TrueHD audio stream from an HD DVD - assuming you have an HD DVD drive of course. It also means that the Elite won't be able to make use of the high bit depth Deep Colour feature that HDMI 1.3 supports, although there's still no software available that utilises Deep Colour.
Very little has changed at the rear of the console, with the HDMI port squeezed in next to the standard AV connector. I do mean squeezed too - so much so that you can't actually fit the component/AV cable and the HDMI cable in at the same time. The breakout audio cable has a far slimmer plug than the component/AV cable, which allows it to be plugged in along with the HDMI cable.
The other big change is the hard disk. The original Xbox 360 Premium console shipped with a 20GB hard drive, which gave you around 13GB of actual storage space straight out of the box. Of course this was still a big improvement over the 8GB hard drive that shipped with the original Xbox, while the PlayStation 2 had no mass storage at all. However, once you start to download high definition trailers and music videos, along with game demos and game save data, that 13GB starts to run low.
The Elite addresses the hard disk capacity issue by shipping with a 120GB drive as standard. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Elite has a hard drive that's twice the size of the unit that Sony ships in the PS3, after all "twice as big" sounds pretty good if you're a marketing type that believes that size matters. Of course it's worth remembering that the hard drive in the PS3 is user upgradable with a bog standards 2.5" SATA unit. You can also plug an external USB hard drive into a PS3 to augment storage, something that you can't do with an Xbox 360.
Click to enlarge
The extra hard disk space is a very welcome addition, especially if you find yourself downloading lots of high definition content and game demos from Xbox Live Marketplace. The increased capacity will also be necessary when Microsoft launches its Video Marketplace in Europe, which allows users to download entire high definition movies and TV shows to the hard drive.
At the Elite launch earlier this week, I had the chance to see the already launched US Video Marketplace in action. The idea is to add video on demand to the X360, with content paid for using Gamer Points. Of course, it's not so much video on demand, but video that you demand and wait for - if you want to watch a standard definition video you'll be twiddling your thumbs for 10-15 minutes, but if you want to watch some pristine high definition content, you could be waiting up to four hours. The quality is pretty impressive though, with an HD download of the superb 300 looking staggeringly good.
There's nothing definite about how Video Marketplace will be implemented in the UK, but if it's like the US, you'll be able to download a film like 300 (for approx $3.50), then you'll have a week in which to start watching it. Once you start watching the movie, you will need to finish it within 24 hours. If you think that sounds a bit convoluted, I concur. Far more simple is the idea of buying content outright, and you can do just that with many TV shows.
The ability to download TV shows in high definition could prove very popular in the UK, since many US shows that are shot and broadcast in HD in the States, are shown is standard definition over here. So, if you want to watch House, CSI or even Supernatural in HD, you better hope that they turn up on Video Marketplace.
Very little has changed at the rear of the console, with the HDMI port squeezed in next to the standard AV connector. I do mean squeezed too - so much so that you can't actually fit the component/AV cable and the HDMI cable in at the same time. The breakout audio cable has a far slimmer plug than the component/AV cable, which allows it to be plugged in along with the HDMI cable.
The other big change is the hard disk. The original Xbox 360 Premium console shipped with a 20GB hard drive, which gave you around 13GB of actual storage space straight out of the box. Of course this was still a big improvement over the 8GB hard drive that shipped with the original Xbox, while the PlayStation 2 had no mass storage at all. However, once you start to download high definition trailers and music videos, along with game demos and game save data, that 13GB starts to run low.
The Elite addresses the hard disk capacity issue by shipping with a 120GB drive as standard. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Elite has a hard drive that's twice the size of the unit that Sony ships in the PS3, after all "twice as big" sounds pretty good if you're a marketing type that believes that size matters. Of course it's worth remembering that the hard drive in the PS3 is user upgradable with a bog standards 2.5" SATA unit. You can also plug an external USB hard drive into a PS3 to augment storage, something that you can't do with an Xbox 360.
Click to enlarge
The extra hard disk space is a very welcome addition, especially if you find yourself downloading lots of high definition content and game demos from Xbox Live Marketplace. The increased capacity will also be necessary when Microsoft launches its Video Marketplace in Europe, which allows users to download entire high definition movies and TV shows to the hard drive.
At the Elite launch earlier this week, I had the chance to see the already launched US Video Marketplace in action. The idea is to add video on demand to the X360, with content paid for using Gamer Points. Of course, it's not so much video on demand, but video that you demand and wait for - if you want to watch a standard definition video you'll be twiddling your thumbs for 10-15 minutes, but if you want to watch some pristine high definition content, you could be waiting up to four hours. The quality is pretty impressive though, with an HD download of the superb 300 looking staggeringly good.
There's nothing definite about how Video Marketplace will be implemented in the UK, but if it's like the US, you'll be able to download a film like 300 (for approx $3.50), then you'll have a week in which to start watching it. Once you start watching the movie, you will need to finish it within 24 hours. If you think that sounds a bit convoluted, I concur. Far more simple is the idea of buying content outright, and you can do just that with many TV shows.
The ability to download TV shows in high definition could prove very popular in the UK, since many US shows that are shot and broadcast in HD in the States, are shown is standard definition over here. So, if you want to watch House, CSI or even Supernatural in HD, you better hope that they turn up on Video Marketplace.
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